Stories from China (Part 38)

This entry is part 38 of 40 in the series Stories from China

June 21, 2023

Stories from China (Part 38)

By Simon J. Lau

I arrived in Beijing in the evening, and it was blistering hot, nearly 100°F (36°C). When I stepped out of the metro, I honestly thought I might melt away. 🫠 Fortunately, I pulled myself together and made my way to Ghost Street for what would be my last dinner in China, at least for now.

During the Qing dynasty, merchants and vendors would set up stalls here around midnight and pack up before sunrise. The dim glow of their oil lamps was said to look ghostly in the darkness, giving the street its name, 鬼街, or “Ghost Street.” Starting in the late 1980s, as China began to modernize, restaurants and storefronts replaced the old stalls, and the street grew into one of Beijing’s most famous food destinations.

At the same time, Chinese people tend to be very superstitious. To move away from the ghostly reference, the city adopted a new name, 簋街, which is pronounced the same as the original. A 簋 is a bronze vessel traditionally used to hold food offerings, and there’s even a giant one at the street’s main entrance. Still, despite the official name change, most people continue to call it by its original name. 👻

Since arriving in China, I’ve surprisingly gotten really into Muslim food. This time, I ate at a Uyghur restaurant and loved it. The ultra-large beer bottles (620 ml instead of the usual 500 ml) were a nice touch, the lamb and rice dish was delicious, and even the yogurt I took to go was pretty good.

Someday, I’d love to explore the more sparsely populated western regions of China, especially Xinjiang where many Uyghurs live. A number of Chinese people have told me how stunning that area is and how worthwhile it is to visit, so it’s firmly on my bucket list

Finally, I’ve got one last morning in China before heading home. I guess I’ll have to really savor that final breakfast and coffee. In the meantime, here’s a selfie of me in front of Beijing’s much-loved Liangma River.